A conwoman from Countesthorpe who claimed her mother was dead to trick a victim out of thousands of pounds has been jailed.

Joann Wood, 60, of Scalborough Close, who spent the money on gambling, was told by Judge Philip Head: "You're dishonest in every fibre of your body."

Wood was jailed for two years and four months at Leicester Crown Court last week.

The court was told that she committed the offence while awaiting trial for duping a 91-year-old woman out of £1,300 after falsely claiming she worked for Age Concern - for which she received a 50 week jail sentence earlier this year.

The latest offence happened after she befriended a 62-year-old dog owner, using the false name of Jo Clark and masqueraded as working for a dog rescue organisation.

In a fake phone call when the two were out walking the victim's dogs, Wood falsely claimed to receive news her mother, Rose, had suffered a fall.

She later told the unsuspecting woman her mother was terminally ill with cancer and she would need to borrow money for the funeral and headstone, amounting to £2,500.

After claiming her mother had passed away, Wood then tricked the victim into handing over a further £6,500, supposedly towards the deposit on a house they had viewed and discussed purchasing together.

Kate Plummer, prosecuting, said the matter only came to light when Wood was jailed in April.

She falsely told the victim her court case was in connection with having rescued dogs from an animal testing laboratory.

The woman had a shock when she went to her hairdresser's in Leicester – where she first met the defendant, whose mother was also a customer – to be told that Wood's mother Rose was "alive and well" and had visited the salon the previous day.

Wood, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining £9,000 by false representation, between October last year and April.

Miss Plummer said: "The complainant in a victim impact statement describes being shocked.

"She feels angry.

"Wood was so plausible and believable – but everything the defendant told her was a lie.

"She's now got past the crying stage but still walks around in a fuddled state.

Sentencing, Judge Head said: "You fabricated a phone call designed to gain sympathy by saying your mother had a fall and then said she was in a terminal condition – and then you began bleeding her for money.

"You inflicted financial difficulties on your victim – she hasn't had a penny of the £9,000 back, despite saying you had half to give her.

"You wasted this money on gambling."

The court heard Wood had 68 offences on her criminal record, mainly for dishonesty, and many involved telling lies – such as claiming to have cancer - to gain sympathy and cash.

The 91-year-old woman she duped out of £1,300 had entrusted Wood with money to give to an agency for the care of her son who was in supported accommodation.

The elderly victim died before Wood was sentenced.

Clarkson Baptiste, mitigating, said: "She admitted the offence when the police visited her in prison after her last sentence.

"She's known all along she'd be returning to prison."

Referring to her gambling, Mr Baptiste said: "She knows she has a deep-rooted problem."